


No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear

by euphoriapotion



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Gen, Grief, MCU missing scenes, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), and before i know it i wrote angst, so i wanted to write something nice about Harley & Tony relationship, tony stark is dead, we're just gonna have to roll with it then, well...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21596830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphoriapotion/pseuds/euphoriapotion
Summary: No. It couldn't be the truth. There's no way that Tony... He took a shaky breath. No. Just no. But the AI couldn't be lying about something like this, right? But it didn't make sense, Tony was just missing somewhere in space and now he...He shook his head. This was not happening.or Harley Keener is forced to say goodbye to Tony Stark after coming back from the Soul Stone.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Harley Keener & Pepper Potts, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39
Collections: MCU missing scenes





	No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear

**Author's Note:**

> I was gonna write more missing scenes between Harley & Tony into this work aka "5 times Harley saved Tony and one time he couldn't" but I didn't have any inspiration for the other scenes, unfortunately! Maybe I write them in the near future, but all I could think of was Endgame and Harley saying goodbye to his mentor and Mechanic.
> 
> The title is the quote by C.S. Lewis
> 
> English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Please leave a comment!

Numbness.

Pain.

Harley could only stand there and stare into nothing, as he clutched the phone to his chest, feeling his rapidly-beating heart. He didn't hear the yelling on the street or the way his mom kept calling his name. He didn't feel his sister grabbing his hand. He felt empty. He only just came back from... whatever the hell he's been.

He was watching the news which covered the fight in Wakanda _with Iron Man still missing_ when he saw people turning into the dust as he started to do the same, hearing only his sister calling his name, and when he blinked it was somehow five years later with his little sister being now older than him and the next thing he knows he's got a call from FRIDAY telling him that...

No. It couldn't be the truth. There's no way that Tony... Harley took a shaky breath. No. Just no. But the AI couldn't be lying about something like this, right? But it didn't make sense, Tony was just missing somewhere in space and now he...

He shook his head. This was not happening.

The journey to Upstate New York was mercilessly long and he ached to get there, fearing what he would see there at the same time. He couldn't sleep because every time he closed his eyes he saw a face of a man who was like a father to him; a man who saved him in more than one way; the man he loved and who loved him. All he could do was to stare through the window and think about the wonderful, caring, _invincible_ man he cared for. He didn't hear his mom and his sister talking beside him, all he could think about was FRIDAY's words "I'm so sorry, Mr. Keener, but Boss... Mr. Stark wanted you to know if anything happened to him... He died, Mr. Keener. I'm sorry." He didn't believe it at first, but then he boarded Stark Industries jet sent to take him to New York and he saw the company employees looking somber and devastated which made him realize this actually happened.

They were connected. They _should’ve been_ connected. That’s what they always said. Then why did he feel emptiness when it used to be love?

He wished he had been there when the fight started. He could pilot the Iron Lad suit, he _should have helped_. If only were there instead of Tennessee...

The compound was mostly destroyed. Only the medical wing and Tony’s personal wing were somehow intact (talk about irony). The firefighters have already extinguished the fire but nobody could go inside. All of the Avengers, old and new, people, whom Harley didn't recognize, gathered at the other side of the lawn. They looked bruised, some of them injured, and all incredibly sad. Tony's body has already been moved.

Grief made everyone look older. Pepper, Happy, James, Peter... He could barely look at James, but the man took him in his arms and told him there was nothing he could have done. The fight was fast and brutal, there would have been no way for Harley to get there in time. When Pepper saw him, she hugged him first and didn't let go for a long time. Harley didn't want her to; he hoped he could at least show her that he was here, by her side and she could count on him to help, always. 

And then he saw a little girl looking at him curiously. He glanced at Pepper, and then at her. Oh, God. She was her daughter, wasn't she. She was _Tony's_ daughter. He wished so hard he could've stayed here for the last 5 years, with everyone, instead of being one of the Vanished. He's missed so much. Last time he talked to Tony through the phone, he mentioned his dream about having a baby and now he wasn't even able to introduce her to Harley... He took a breath.

Pepper put her hand on her daughter's arm. "Meet Morgan," she whispered. "Morgan, this is Harley."

Harley smiled. "Hello. I like your name."

Morgan returned the smile. "My middle name is Harley too!" she said. "My dad said it was my brother's name. Is this you?”

He looked at Pepper with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but he could not utter a word. He just stared, not quite believing what he heard. Pepper smiled through tears. "Tony always considered you a family. When he learned that you were..." She shook his head. "He always wished you and Peter could meet her. And he loved you, Harley. So much. Of course, he named our daughter after you."

He couldn't help it. He wept.


End file.
